U.S. patent application number 10/949888 was filed with the patent office on 2006-04-06 for test device and method for testing a rail car brake system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Graham-White Manufacturing, Co.. Invention is credited to Jerry D. Crane, Kathryn M. Edwards, Scott G. Edwards, Alan R. Granger, William E. Masek.
Application Number | 20060074581 10/949888 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36126623 |
Filed Date | 2006-04-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060074581 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Crane; Jerry D. ; et
al. |
April 6, 2006 |
Test device and method for testing a rail car brake system
Abstract
The present invention discloses and claims a test device and
method for testing a rail car brake system. The test device
includes a pneumatic circuit and electronic circuit connecting a
supply of test air to the rail car brake system being tested. The
pneumatic and electronic circuits operate to selectively supply and
vent the test air to or from the rail car brake system according to
programmed instructions. The test device further includes a web
server interface for communicating with a predetermined web page or
other source external to the rail car brake system test device to
retrieve and download additional programming instructions.
Inventors: |
Crane; Jerry D.; (Anderson,
SC) ; Edwards; Scott G.; (Anderson, SC) ;
Edwards; Kathryn M.; (Anderson, SC) ; Granger; Alan
R.; (Easley, SC) ; Masek; William E.;
(Anderson, SC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DORITY & MANNING, P.A.
POST OFFICE BOX 1449
GREENVILLE
SC
29602-1449
US
|
Assignee: |
Graham-White Manufacturing,
Co.
|
Family ID: |
36126623 |
Appl. No.: |
10/949888 |
Filed: |
September 25, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
702/114 ;
73/121 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60T 17/228
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
702/114 ;
073/121 |
International
Class: |
G06F 19/00 20060101
G06F019/00 |
Claims
1. A rail car brake system test device comprising: a. an air supply
to provide test air to a rail car brake system; b. a valve manifold
connected between said air supply and the rail car brake system,
wherein said valve manifold includes i. a valve for selectively
supplying and venting said test air to or from the rail car brake
system and ii. a sensor for measuring said test air; c. a control
circuit operatively connected with said valve manifold for
selectively positioning said valve and recording a measurement from
said sensor; d. a power supply connected to said control circuit
for providing electrical power to said control circuit; and e. a
web server interface in communication with said control circuit and
configured to receive programming instructions from a predetermined
web page and to communicate said programming instructions to said
control circuit for testing the rail car brake system.
2. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 1, wherein
said valve manifold includes a solenoid operated valve positioned
by said control circuit.
3. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 1, wherein
said valve manifold includes a pressure sensor for measuring the
pressure of said test air.
4. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 1, wherein
said valve manifold includes a flow sensor for measuring the flow
rate of said test air.
5. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 1, wherein
said valve manifold includes a thermal bypass valve for diverting a
portion of said test air for selectively heating or cooling said
rail car brake system test device.
6. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 1, wherein
said control circuit includes non-volatile memory for recording
measurements of said test air.
7. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 1, wherein
said power supply includes a rechargeable battery.
8. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 1, wherein
said web server interface is configured to receive data from said
control circuit and to communicate said data to a location external
to said test device.
9. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 1, further
including a data entry device for communicating with said control
circuit.
10. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 1, further
including a web browser for accessing said predetermined web
page.
11. A rail car brake system test device comprising: a. an air
supply to provide test air to a rail car brake system; b. a valve
manifold connected between said air supply and the rail car brake
system, wherein said valve manifold includes i. a valve for
selectively supplying and venting said test air to or from the rail
car brake system and ii. a sensor for measuring said test air; c. a
control circuit operatively connected with said valve manifold for
selectively positioning said valve and recording a measurement from
said sensor; d. a power supply connected to said control circuit
for providing electrical power to said control circuit; and e. a
web server interface in communication with said control circuit and
configured to receive programming instructions from a source
external to said rail car brake system test device and to
communicate said programming instructions to said control circuit
for testing the rail car brake system.
12. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 11, wherein
said valve manifold includes a solenoid operated valve positioned
by said control circuit.
13. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 11, wherein
said valve manifold includes a pressure sensor for measuring the
pressure of said test air.
14. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 11, wherein
said valve manifold includes a flow sensor for measuring the flow
rate of said test air.
15. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 11, wherein
said valve manifold further includes a thermal bypass valve for
diverting a portion of said test air for selectively heating or
cooling said rail car brake system test device.
16. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 11, wherein
said control circuit includes non-volatile memory for recording
measurements of said test air.
17. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 11, wherein
said power supply includes a rechargeable battery.
18. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 11, wherein
said web server interface is configured to receive data from said
control circuit and to communicate said data to a location external
to said test device.
19. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 11, wherein
said source external to said rail car brake system test device is a
microprocessor having said programming instructions.
20. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 11, wherein
said source external to said rail car brake system test device is a
predetermined web page having said programming instructions.
21. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 11, further
including a data entry device for communicating with said control
circuit.
22. The rail car brake system test device as in claim 11, further
including a web browser for accessing said source external to said
rail car brake system test device.
23. A method for testing a rail car brake system using a test
device comprising: a. connecting a supply of test air to a valve
manifold; b. connecting said valve manifold to the rail car brake
system; c. operatively connecting a control circuit to said valve
manifold; d. retrieving programming instructions from a
predetermined web page; e. communicating said programming
instructions to said control circuit; f. executing said programming
instructions through said control circuit to selectively position
said valve manifold according to said programming instructions; and
g. measuring said test air.
24. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 23,
wherein said measuring said test air includes measuring a pressure
of said test air.
25. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 23,
wherein said measuring said test air includes measuring a flow rate
of said test air.
26. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 23,
further including recording measurements of said test air.
27. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 23,
further including transmitting said measurements of said test air
to a location external to said test device.
28. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 23,
further including diverting a portion of said test air through a
thermal mechanism for selectively heating or cooling said test
device.
29. A method for testing a rail car brake system using a test
device comprising: a. connecting a supply of test air to a valve
manifold; b. connecting said valve manifold to the rail car brake
system; c. operatively connecting a control circuit to said valve
manifold; d. retrieving programming instructions from a source
external to said test device; e. communicating said programming
instructions to said control circuit; f. executing said programming
instructions through said control circuit to selectively position
said valve manifold according to said programming instructions; and
g. measuring said test air.
30. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 29,
wherein said retrieving programming instructions from a source
external to said test device includes retrieving programming
instructions from a microprocessor external to said test
device.
31. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 29,
wherein said retrieving programming instructions from a source
external to said test device includes retrieving programming
instructions from a predetermined web page.
32. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 29,
wherein said measuring said test air includes measuring a pressure
of said test air.
33. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 29,
wherein said measuring said test air includes measuring a flow rate
of said test air.
34. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 29,
further including recording measurements of said test air.
35. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 29,
further including transmitting said measurements of said test air
to a location external to said test device.
36. The method for testing a rail car brake system of claim 29,
further including diverting a portion of said test air through a
thermal mechanism for selectively heating or cooling said test
device using said test air.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Railway trains and cars typically include a pneumatic brake
system. The brake system is critical to the safe operation of the
rail cars and is therefore subject to periodic testing to ensure
the integrity and satisfactory performance of the brake system. The
present invention provides a test device and method for testing the
brake system on a rail car.
[0002] In the United States, the Association of American Railroads
(AAR), in conjunction with the Federal Railway Administration, has
promulgated and adopted a Manual of Standards and Recommended
Practices. Included in this manual is Standard S-486 for testing
the brake system on a rail car. In general, Standard S-486 includes
a series of tests that measure the pressure and flow rate of the
air in the brake system under various conditions. These pressure
and flow rate measurements are then used to verify that the brake
system has sufficient physical integrity and will perform
satisfactorily under expected operational conditions.
[0003] Various devices and methods exist to test rail car brake
systems. For example, Standard S-486, incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety for all purposes, describes and
illustrates a brake system test device commonly known to one of
ordinary skill in the art.
[0004] The test device described and illustrated in Standard S-486
includes a valve manifold to connect a supply of test air to the
brake system being tested. The valve manifold generally includes a
dual-pressure reducing valve, a six position rotary valve, and a
3/8 inch vent valve connected in series between the air supply and
the brake system being tested. The dual-pressure reducing valve has
two selectable positions to reduce the air supply to either 80 psig
or 90 psig. The six position rotary valve selectively supplies or
vents test air to or from the brake system through various sized
orifices. The vent valve provides a 3/8 inch orifice for rapidly
venting test air from the brake system. In addition, the test
device further includes a pressure gauge and venturi flow meter for
measuring the test air.
[0005] An operator using the test device described and illustrated
in Standard S-486 must manually position each of the selectable
valves to the proper position and in the exact sequence recited in
the various tests to correctly perform each brake test. In
addition, the operator must also accurately observe, interpret, and
record the various pressure and flow rate measurements at the
proper times to perform a valid test of the brake system. As a
result, various errors can occur in the brake system test due to
operator error.
[0006] Another device presently available for performing the brake
tests recited in Standard S-486 is described in U.S. Pat. No.
5,808,909 issued to Rees. The test device described in this patent
includes a valve manifold and pressure and flow rate sensors for
performing the functions and measurements required by Standard
S-486. This test device further includes a controller programmed to
operate the valve manifold as prescribed by Standard S-486 and to
record measurements from the pressure and flow rate sensors, thus
potentially eliminating sources of operator error. According to the
patent, the controller can be reprogrammed to perform different
brake tests. However, the reprogramming requires individual action
for each test device. This individual action causes delays in
subsequent brake tests, requires additional skilled labor
sufficiently knowledgeable to perform the reprogramming, and create
an additional opportunity for operator error in effecting any
programming changes.
[0007] As a result, the need exists for an improved test device
that can not only accurately perform the brake system tests
required in the industry, but that can also be reliably and rapidly
updated to adapt to changing demands in the industry.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Objects and advantages of the invention are set forth below
in the following description, or may be obvious from the
description, or may be learned through practice of the
invention.
[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, a test device
for testing a rail car brake system includes an air supply, a valve
manifold, a control circuit, a power supply, and a web server
interface. The air supply provides test air to the rail car brake
system being tested. The valve manifold connects between the air
supply and the rail car brake system, and the valve manifold
includes a valve for selectively supplying and venting the test air
to or from the rail car brake system and a sensor for measuring the
test air. The control circuit operatively connects with the valve
manifold for selectively positioning the valve and recording a
measurement from the sensor. The power supply connects to the
control circuit for providing electrical power to the control
circuit. The web server interface is in communication with the
control circuit. The web server interface is configured to receive
programming instructions from a predetermined web page and to
communicate the programming instructions to the control circuit for
testing the rail car brake system.
[0010] In particular embodiments, the valve manifold may further
include a solenoid operated valve that is positioned by the control
circuit. Furthermore, the valve manifold may include a pressure
sensor for measuring the pressure of the test air and/or a flow
sensor for measuring the flow rate of the test air. In still
further embodiments, the valve manifold may include a thermal
bypass valve for diverting a portion of the test air for
selectively heating or cooling the rail car brake system test
device.
[0011] In other particular embodiments, the web server interface
may be configured to receive data from the control circuit and to
communicate the data to a location external to the test device. The
test device may further include a data entry device for
communicating with the control circuit and/or a web browser for
accessing the predetermined web page.
[0012] In another embodiment of the present invention, the web
server interface is configured to receive programming instructions
from a source external to the rail car brake system test device and
to communicate the programming instructions to the control circuit
for testing the rail car brake system. The source external to the
rail car brake system test device may be a microprocessor, a
predetermined web page, or other source having the programming
instructions.
[0013] The present invention further includes a method for testing
a rail car brake system using a test device. The method includes
connecting a supply of test air to a valve manifold and connecting
the valve manifold to the rail car brake system. A control circuit
is operatively connected to the valve manifold, and programming
instructions are retrieved from a predetermined web page. The
programming instructions are communicated to the control circuit,
and the control circuit executes the programming instructions to
selectively position the valve manifold according to the
programming instructions and measure the test air.
[0014] Additional methods within the scope of the present invention
may include measuring a pressure and/or flow rate of the test air.
Furthermore, the method may include recording measurements of the
test air and/or transmitting the measurements to a location
external to the test device. An alternate method may include
diverting a portion of the test air through a thermal mechanism for
selectively heating or cooling the test device using the test
air.
[0015] Another embodiment of the present invention may include
retrieving programming instructions from a source external to the
test device. The external source may be a microprocessor, a
predetermined web page, or other source external to the test device
having the programming instructions.
[0016] Those of ordinary skill in the art will better appreciate
the features and aspects of such embodiments, and others, upon
review of the specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention,
including the best mode thereof to one skilled in the art, is set
forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification,
including reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a pneumatic circuit according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electrical circuit according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0021] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG.
3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] Reference will now be made in detail to present embodiments
of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in
the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of
explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In
fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
modifications and variations can be made in the present invention
without departing from the scope or spirit thereof. For instance,
features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be
used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment.
Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such
modifications and variations as come within the scope of the
appended claims and their equivalents.
[0023] The present invention relates generally to a test device 10
and method for testing a rail car brake system. The test device 10
generally includes a pneumatic circuit 12 and an electrical circuit
14. The pneumatic circuit 12 connects a supply of test air 16 to a
brake pipe of the brake system being tested. The pneumatic circuit
12 generally includes a valve manifold 18 and associated sensors
20, 22, 24. The electrical circuit 14 controls the operation of the
valve manifold 18 and receives and records the various sensor
measurements required by the particular test being performed. The
electrical circuit 14 generally includes a low voltage power supply
26, a control circuit 28, and a web server interface 30. Although
particular embodiments of the pneumatic and electrical circuits are
provided to describe and enable the present invention, these
embodiments are provided for illustration only and are not intended
to limit the scope of the present invention as recited in the
claims.
[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a pneumatic circuit 12
according to a particular embodiment of the present invention. As
shown at the top left of FIG. 1, an air supply 16 provides test air
to the pneumatic circuit 12. The air supply 16 must be capable of
providing a sufficient volume of test air to meet the brake system
test requirements. Standard S486 currently requires a minimum
supply volume of 1700 cubic inches, although larger or smaller
volumes are within the scope of the present invention. The top
right of FIG. 1 illustrates the connection between the pneumatic
circuit 12 and a brake pipe of the brake system being tested. The
connections to the air supply and the brake pipe are made using
quick disconnects, also known as "Glad-Hands," located on a front
panel 32 of the test device 10, as will be described in more detail
later.
[0025] After entering the pneumatic circuit 12, the test air first
passes through an in-line filter 34 to remove contaminants from the
test air. The test air then passes through a pressure regulator 36
to reduce the test air pressure to the particular pressure required
by the brake test. The pressure regulator 36 may be any
conventional regulator known to one of ordinary skill in the art,
such as a Control Air Model M100, that is capable of reducing the
pressure of the test air to the desired pressure.
[0026] The valve manifold 18 follows the regulator 36. The valve
manifold 18 generally includes a set of five valves (labeled as POS
1, 2, 4, 5, and 6) and associated orifices (labeled with the
respective orifice size). The specific placement of the valves and
orifices emulate the function and operation of the six position
rotary valve previously described and illustrated in Standard
S-486. Depending on the particular positions of the five valves,
the test air is either supplied to the brake pipe of the brake
system being tested, vented to atmosphere 38, or held in a static
condition.
[0027] The pneumatic circuit 12 also includes a 3/8 inch vent valve
40 for rapidly venting the test air to atmosphere during specific
portions of the brake test. In addition, the pneumatic circuit 12
includes pressure sensors 20, 24 and a flow rate meter 22 as
illustrated to measure the pressure and flow rate of the test air
during various portions of the brake test. The particular sensors
and meters used are not distinguishing features of the present
invention and include any sensors and meters known to one of
ordinary skill in the art for measuring the desired characteristics
of the test air.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, the pneumatic circuit 12 may further
include additional, optional components, the structure and function
of which are readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
For example, the pneumatic circuit 12 may include a valve 42 at the
inlet of the flow rate meter 22 to prevent air flow through the
meter during particular tests. Similarly, the pneumatic circuit 12
may include additional valves and associated piping for connecting
the pneumatic circuit to additional portions of the brake system,
such as an auxiliary reservoir 44, an emergency reservoir 46,
and/or a brake cylinder 48. In particular embodiments, the
pneumatic circuit 12 may also include a thermal bypass valve 50 for
diverting a portion of the test air for selectively heating or
cooling the test device 10. The diverted test air may pass through
a thermal mechanism, such as a Model 220 Hot/Cold Vortex Air
Conditioner made by ITW Vortec, where it is selectively heated or
cooled. The heated or cooled diverted air is subsequently vented
into the test device 10, allowing operation of the test device in
environments ranging from -40 degrees Centigrade to 50 degrees
Centigrade.
[0029] Each of the valves previously described or otherwise
included in the pneumatic circuit 12 may be remotely operable
valves, such as solenoid controlled valves, capable of being
remotely and automatically operated by the electrical circuit 14,
as will now be described in more detail.
[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an electrical circuit
14 according to a particular embodiment of the present invention.
As shown, the low voltage power supply 26 provides a reliable
source of direct current power to various components in the
electrical circuit. The supplied voltage may be 3.3 VDC, 5 VDC,
and/or 12 VDC, depending on the components used and their power
requirements. A rechargeable battery 54, such as a 12 volt
lead-acid battery capable of providing 20 amp-hours of power
between full charges, may be used to furnish power to the power
supply. If a rechargeable battery is used, the power supply may
include associated circuitry for re-charging the battery from an
external AC or DC power source. Alternately, an external source of
AC power may furnish power to the power supply, with the AC power
rectified, regulated, and reduced, as necessary, to achieve the
required low voltage, direct current.
[0031] The control circuit 28 includes a programmable processor
that operates the pneumatic circuit 12 and stores test air data.
The processor includes programming instructions to control the
valves, take electrical measurements, store data, and communicate
with the web server. A suitable processor within the scope of the
present invention is a MSC 1210 processor manufactured by Texas
Instruments. The MSC 1210 processor includes 32 K Bytes of onboard
flash memory, 1280 Bytes of RAM, an 8 channel 24 bit analog to
digital converter, and operates at 11.0592 MHz. The programming
instructions cause the processor to send signals to bit addressable
latches (BAL) to remotely operate the valves in the pneumatic
circuit 12. The programming instructions also cause the processor
to receive and record sensor measurements from the pneumatic
circuit 12 as required by the brake test.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the control circuit 28 may include
additional, optional components, the structure and function of
which are well known to one of ordinary skill in the art. For
example, the control circuit 28 may include non-volatile RAM 56
external from the processor for increasing the storage capacity of
the test device. In addition, the control circuit 28 may further
include a real time clock (RTC) 58 for recording the date and time
of various events and measurements.
[0033] The web server interface 30 comprises a plug-and-play device
embedded in the electrical circuit 14 for providing Internet or
world-wide-web-enabled network connectivity to the control circuit
28. Control of the tests is through the use of predefined web pages
that carry the necessary state information to run the test as well
as provide the necessary user interface information for human
control and monitoring of the test. These predefined web pages are
served on an as needed basis to either a locally connected web
browser, or remotely across a TCP/IP link. Since the networked
information is in a common "open" format, there is no need for a
proprietary user application to be present on the user's computer
to operate the test device. The web-enabled network connectivity
permits the control circuit 28 to receive programming instructions,
such as brake test revisions or changes, from predetermined web
pages or other sources external to the test device. This network
connectivity provides a high degree of quality control over the
particular programming instructions available for downloading and
also provides a method for rapid dissemination of programming
instructions to multiple remote locations without requiring
additional personnel.
[0034] The programming instructions may be downloaded directly from
the predetermined web page or other external source, through the
web server interface 30, to the control circuit 28. The downloaded
programming instructions are then available for execution by the
control circuit 28 during the next brake test. In addition, the
control circuit 28 may upload brake test data through the web
server interface 30 to a predetermined web page or other external
location that is remote from the test device. In this manner, a
single location can receive brake test data from multiple remote
locations for review and analysis. The connection between the test
device and a remote device can be across a standard Ethernet
hardwired connection, or in another realization of this invention
across a wireless (WiFi) Ethernet connection. This allows any
wireless equipped PC to operate the test device without any special
configuration.
[0035] A suitable web server interface 30 within the scope of the
present invention is a Digi Connect ME module manufactured by Digi
International. The Digi Connect ME module includes a 32 bit
processor with 2 M Bytes of flash memory and 8 M Bytes of SDRAM.
The web server interface 30 may connect to an Ethernet network card
using a 10BaseT unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable. Alternate
embodiments within the scope of the present invention may use a
WiFi interface for accessing the Internet. To access the Internet
or world-wide-web, the web server interface 30 uses a web browser
which may be internal or external to the test device. For example,
the web browser may reside in a separate microcomputer included
with the test device, or the web browser may reside external to the
test device in a separate microcomputer, cellular telephone, PDA,
or similar device.
[0036] FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate one embodiment of the test device
10 in which the pneumatic and electrical circuits are mounted in a
briefcase-sized container 60. The container 60 provides a portable
and secure enclosure for storing, moving, protecting, and setting
up the test device 10 at remote locations. A sufficiently sized
container 60 is approximately 18 inches wide by 14 inches long by
12 inches deep, although larger or smaller containers are within
the scope of the present invention, depending on the particular
embodiment. In addition, the container 60 may include wheels or
tires on one side to further facilitate mobility and ease of
transport.
[0037] As shown, the test device 10 includes a front panel 32
containing various switches and connectors for providing power and
test air to the test device, for connecting the test device to the
brake system being tested, and for communicating to and from the
test device. Referring to the left side of FIG. 4, the front panel
32 includes an IEC style connector 62 for receiving external power,
such as 115 VAC, into the test device 10. The IEC connector 62 may
include a surge protector, such as a 2 amp fuse, to protect the
electrical circuit 14 from harmful electrical transients. A two
position rocker switch 64 next to the IEC connector 62 and labeled
MASTER POWER isolates the external power from the electrical
circuit 14 in the OFF position, and permits external power to be
applied to the battery charger (if included) in the ON position. A
light 66 next to the master power switch 64 indicates the status of
battery charging. Below the master power switch 64 is a two
position rocker switch 68 labeled SCBT POWER for energizing the
test device 10 with either internal or external power. Below the
SCBT POWER switch 68 is a pair of Ethernet I/O plugs 70 for
connecting the web server interface 30 to an Internet service
provider (ISP) or external microcomputer. A serial connector
labeled DIAGNOSTIC provides a connection for performing diagnostic
checks of the electrical circuit. A vent 74 in the front panel 32
provides a filtered opening through the front panel 32 to permit
test air vented from the pneumatic circuit 12 to escape to the
environment. The remainder of the fittings on the front panel are
quick disconnect, or "Glad-Hand," pneumatic fittings for connecting
the pneumatic circuit 12 to various sources, as labeled in FIG. 4
and previously discussed with respect to FIG. 1.
[0038] The center of the front panel 32 includes an optional
display panel 76, such as a CRT, LED, OLED, or LCD display. As
shown, the display panel 76 may also include a data entry device
78, such as a conventional keyboard or other touch-screen device,
for communicating with the control circuit 28.
[0039] The present invention also includes a novel method for
testing a rail car brake system using an embodiment of the test
device as previously described and illustrated. As previously
described with respect to FIG. 1, the method includes connecting a
supply of test air 16 to a valve manifold 18. The valve manifold 18
generally emulates the test device described and illustrated in
Standard S-486. The method further includes operatively connecting
a control circuit 28 to the valve manifold 18, as shown in FIG. 2,
and connecting the valve manifold 18 to the brake pipe of the rail
car brake system being tested. If revised programming instructions
are required, the method includes retrieving the programming
instructions from a predetermined web page or source external to
the test device 10. The programming instructions are communicated
to the control circuit 28, and the control circuit 28 executes the
programming instructions to selectively position the valve manifold
18 and measure test air parameters such as pressure and flow
rate.
[0040] In some embodiments, the method for testing a rail car brake
system may further include recording measurements of said test air
for subsequent download to a predetermined web page or other
external storage location. In addition, where environmental
temperatures are excessively hot or cold, the method may further
include diverting a portion of the test air through a thermal
mechanism 52 for selectively heating or cooling the test device
10.
[0041] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments of the
invention set forth herein without departing from the scope and
spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and
their equivalents.
* * * * *